Hobgoblin
“On first glance, they appear as an order of chivalrous knights on parade, making their way through the countryside. The truth, though, is revealed by the swath of destruction left in their path—the fires in the distance and the smoke in the sky. For miles around, the air is silent, as if even the hiding beasts and lowly brush feared to move. And when the wind blows just right, the stench of their rotting victims and the pleas of those wretched souls in their hopeless slave train carry on the breeze. They are hobgoblins, and they march to war.” While their Goblin kin seek only to cause pain and suffering as some sort of perverted sport, Hobgoblins possess a greater ambition. They dream of a great hobgoblin empire spanning hundreds, if not thousands, of miles. Fortunately for the rest of the civilized races, no two hobgoblin ideals are the same, and their own bickering and fighting over position keeps them from bringing their dream to fruition. Hobgoblins are a race of soldiers and slavers living on the fringes of other civilizations, just beneath the surface. Like parasites, hobgoblins largely depend on taking many of the essentials of society from their neighbors, but whereas goblins sneak and steal what they need, hobgoblins take it by force. They drag captives back to their lairs and work their slaves to death. Hobgoblins reside primarily in Agorion and Egis. Personality Hobgoblins are something of a paradox. As a race, they are powerful, organized, and dangerous; individually they are extremely ambitious, paranoid, and deceitful. While they produce some of the finest soldiers in the world, the rest of their society barely hangs together and is largely dependent on the skills and abilities of the slaves they capture. On the whole, hobgoblins are incredibly ambitious, and they do not hesitate to use any means at their disposal to advance their positions. For this reason, it is unusual to find hobgoblins in subordinate positions when part of a group of other humanoids. Almost invariably, they either take control of the group or are killed or driven off in the attempt. Physical Description Hobgoblins were created from goblins, and physically, they still strongly resemble their lesser kin. They have gray skin, orange eyes, broad heads, wide mouths, and sharply pointed ears. Goblins are voracious, bloodthirsty killers, in the end they are little more than vermin, crawling through the dregs of civilization and snatching whatever they can get away with. Hobgoblins, on the other hand, not only possess the size, strength, and tenacity necessary to build civilizations of their own, they also have an instinctive need to find their own place within society (preferably one as high as possible). Relations Goblins fear their more powerful cousins, as they are often killed or captured and made to do physical labor when crossing a hobgoblin war party. Hobgoblins are renowned slavers. To most other races, this is the most terrifying thing about hobgoblins. Their appetite for slaves is almost unquenchable, and they treat their slaves with appalling cruelty. When hobgoblins successfully raid a town, survivors who cannot walk are killed and the rest are taken as slaves. Religion Hobgoblins worship themselves, and the ideal of power. Some hobgoblin leaders may pay tribute to Kanzie or Adaik, but this is often seen as weakness to busy oneself with the unnecessary denigration to another. Powerful hobgoblin warchiefs earn the respect of their followers, but ultimately this stems from the desire to someday usurp said individuals and take claim as ruler themselves. Hobgoblins as Player Characters Before making a hobgoblin character, ask yourself if you're ready to be a part of a large group. If not, your character will almost certainly be some sort of exile, as their lonely lifestyle suggests they were thrown out of the tribe for one disgrace or another. Other reasons for hobgoblins traveling alone include being a forward scout or, in very rare cases, a diplomat. Hobgoblins exist as part of a rigid war society, and they grow up learning to adhere to a hierarchy. When outside of their groups, they attempt to seek power and claim ownership over others. They make excellent bandit leaders or self-proclaimed evil barons. Category:Races Category:Goblinoid Category:Humanoid